I understand Mr. Lake's concern. These people probably want to be able to work on the basis of the new political criteria for next year, as the deputy minister said earlier. That can wait, Mr. Chairman.
What is currently on the agenda is the situation this year. To get a better grasp of that situation, we must compare it to that of last year. To do that, the load has to be as light as possible for officials. So, for the moment, we must limit ourselves to 2006 and 2007. Once Mr. Lake and his colleagues have those lists in hand, they can consult those from previous years if they deem that appropriate. Then they can re-address the question.
It is hard to understand the Conservative logic. First these people say it is impossible to provide these lists, but they suddenly say they are prepared to have not only those for 2006-2007 to be provided, but also those from previous years. That's quite hard to understand.
I think that's quite ironic from a political standpoint. Our colleague Ms. Yelich, whom I appreciate very much, cites the example of Quebec. We shouldn't make any announcements. Mr. Chairman, I've never made any announcements, nor has my colleague. In Quebec, two-thirds of members are from the Bloc Québécois. That may be explained by the fact that our conduct is dignified. The Conservatives, on the other hand, completely disappeared from the map in Quebec because their conduct was undignified. They currently represent 7% of the deputation. If they continue to act in this manner, they will disappear from the map once again.